Forever Fourteen
by writtentempest204
Summary: Danny never liked the holidays. He promised his family he'd do better, but something unexpected keeps him from his promise. Can two old friends help prevent his new "life"? Rated T for character death, ratings and genre subject to change.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I'm only gonna say this once: I do not own Danny Phantom. If I did, new episodes would still be coming! (And I'd redo season three...) Okay, on with the story! ^_^**

_Timeline: Amity Park, 2 Years After Phantom Planet_

Part 1:

Soft white particles drifted down, the wind bolstering them until they landed in his snowy-white hair. Though he didn't feel them, he still shook his head to rid himself of the snow. If he stood there too long, he might soon be covered in the stuff, and he really didn't feel like turning into a snowman at the moment.

Turning, Danny shoved his hands into his armpits as he slowly walked away from the cemetery, leaving the slightly snow-covered stone behind him. He'd never liked the holidays anyway.

But this year would be different. He'd promised, after all, that he would do better.

He ignored the people passing by, knowing they wouldn't notice him anyway. He slowed as he got to the downtown part of Amity Park, and began idly window-shopping, waiting for the right moment.

_There_. He stopped abruptly, and gazed into one particular store that he would not remember the name of later on. It was hard enough just being here without having to worry about remembering things too. But he couldn't let the memory fade just yet; he raced home and straight into his room, quickly grabbing his small stack of cash, a jacket, and some old clothes before heading out yet again.

_Lucky they didn't change anything yet…_ Danny thought, allowing a small smile to creep to his lips. It felt strange, as though it didn't belong anymore, and his expression became stoic once more. He thought no more about it as he entered the store.

Rushing into a dressing room, he quickly changed into his regular clothes, pulling them over his jumpsuit. Taking a deep breath, he tried to relax and focus his energy on staying tangible. With some satisfaction, he waltzed out into the crowded store.

After gazing at items for a few hours, he walked wearily to the register. _Just a little longer_, he thought, handing the cashier his money. He walked lightly through the doors, barely noticing the strange and sympathetic look the cashier was giving him. Shrugging it off, he removed his regular clothes as soon as he was alone, and stuck them in his bag along with all the gifts.

_I have to make this quick if I want to be here any longer…_ Danny once again flew home, pleased to find that the dawn of Christmas Day was just breaking, which meant his family would be up soon. It was strange to see the time pass, with the sun rising and setting. Again, a small smile touched his lips, and this time, he let it stay. He had to be cheerful for them, anyway, and the thought of seeing his family and friends warmed him.

By the time he reached his house, he was barely able to keep hold of the bag in his hands. His smile reversed, and he frowned, his brow scrunching from the effort.

Quickly, he entered the house and lay the presents down on the counter. He focused on the task: wrapping the gifts. He couldn't let his mind wander, not just yet.

About a half hour later, he stood smiling proudly down at his handiwork, and then took the gifts to place under the tree. He knew they would find them if he stuck them in the back. Each had its own little note. Knowing Sam and Tucker would be by later, he just left their gifts with his family's. He was too tired to make any more trips anyway.

Glancing at the clock, he sighed. He wouldn't be able to do it. Sadly, he flew tiredly back down to the lab, and back through the portal doors. The shut nearly silently behind him, as though sensing he didn't want to wake the others.

_Maybe next year…_ he thought morosely.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! ^_^ Well, Eve anyway hahaha Anyway, here's chapter two of my fanfic, and _I have the next two chapters ready and waiting. I'm wondering whether to post both or just one tomorrow_, because I don't want to spam your inboxes! ;D lol Anway, I hope you all enjoy! **

Part 2:

The moment the doors closed, Jazz shot up in her bed, a sudden feeling of sadness jolting her out of her already restless sleep. Sighing, she had a feeling she knew what she had just missed. Knowing she wouldn't be able to sleep again, she slowly shoved her feet into her slippers. Opening her door, she made her way down the hall to wake her parents. The least they could do is spend Christmas together.

As she was about to open her parent's door, she was surprised to find they were already awake.

Her mother smiled at her gently. "Couldn't sleep, honey? Neither could we." Her mother pulled her into a warm embrace, and Jazz let a few tears slip before her dad, ever trying to lighten the mood, ushered them into the living room.

They sat in silence for a while, just staring at the tree, not really wanting to open any gifts. They all wanted the same thing, only one thing, and once again, it seemed impossible.

Just as Jazz was about to move to open the first present, the doorbell rang. Jazz stood up stiffly to answer it.

Sam and Tucker stood sheepishly in the doorway.

"Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Fenton, Jazz. Sorry, we know it's early, but—" Sam began.

"Have you opened the presents yet?" Tucker asked with strained enthusiasm.

"No, we were just about to though, so come on in." Jazz smiled lightly at the two, and began sorting through the presents.

The unwrapping went quickly and somberly, though each attempted to be excited. Soon enough, they were all on the floor, sitting in a smallish circle. Sam flopped down on the carpet in exhaustion, and Tucker followed suit. As he did, he came face to face with the stem of the tree, and he saw… more gifts?

"Hey… guys. We missed some." His confused statement earned him more bewildered looks from the rest of the group.

"I'm sure I got all of them…" Jazz got down on her hands and knees, and, to her surprise, she saw that Tucker was right.

Leaning in toward the corner, Jazz brought out a small bundle of gifts, one for each of them. Mouths hung open slightly, and each was trying to suppress some small spark of hope. _What…? _

Nobody wanted to be disappointed again, and so no one said what they were all thinking. In complete silence, they all opened their gifts, their joy real now, and Sam couldn't stop the tears that were threatening to form. Jazz and her mother were crying openly, and Jack sat stock still, just gazing at his gift, not really seeing it. Tucker was fidgeting, and everyone could tell he was trying to refrain from voicing all of their thoughts.

The gifts themselves were well thought out, and obviously, he'd put some time into choosing them. Later on, they would forget the gifts, mere tokens of physical treasures, bound to break or get lost, or suffer some sort of damage. It wasn't that they had gifts, it was that he had given them.

They all nearly simultaneously picked up their notes, and read, hardly daring to breathe in case something should happen and break their hope.

Each note consisted of a different story or Christmas wish. For Sam, a declaration of caring and "best friendship" (though she knew what it really meant), Tucker had jokes shared only between the two of them, Jack and Maddie teared up at his heartfelt parental appreciation, and Jazz giggled at the kind of gushy stuff she knew her brother would _never_ say to her aloud.

Finally, Tucker could not contain himself.

"So… he didn't want to stay? Doesn't he know…?" Everyone pretended not to notice the small tears forming in his eyes as he quickly brushed them away.

A single excerpt from their notes was the same, and each one confirmed the small bit of hope they'd been harboring since the day Danny died.

"Merry Christmas, Mom/Dad/Jazz/Tucker/Sam.

I told you guys I'd try to be better about the holidays. Consider this a promise.

I'll see you all soon. I love you.

Love, Danny"

Maddie put a hand to her mouth to try to stifle her sobs, but failing that, she ran into the bathroom and shut the door.

"But, if he cared so much, why didn't he stay…?" Jazz sighed. "I guess all we can do now is wait."

_He didn't stay… but at least he didn't forget us._ For the first time since he died, Sam had a real smile on her face, to match Tucker's and Jazz's. Jack had left to comfort Maddie, but they knew Danny's parents were smiling too.

_A promise…_


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! ^_^_

_My gift to you: a slightly longer chapter of my Forever Fourteen fic! Here is the third part, and I was pretty excited about this._

_I apologize if I made it too angsty; I was listening to some "epic" and "sad" music when I did this, so... yeah. Anyway, that would account for any "OOC" moments in this chapter..._

_**Feel free to ask any questions; I know there were some confusing parts of this chapter... **_

_Chapter Four will be up as demanded, though I thought I'd just start with this one. There's not really a cliffie, but in the next chapter is when things start to move forward! ;D YAY!_

_Anyway, I hope you all enjoy, and HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS!_

_SAVE DANNY PHANTOM!  
_

Part 3:

Back in the ghost zone, Danny absent-mindedly twiddled a candy cane around his fingers. It had a ghostly glow to it, and instead of red, it was green. Sighing, he tossed it across the room of his lair, hating the empty _clack_ing sound it made.

Danny had gotten his own lair after he died, and he hated it now. It was too big and too empty. Though he knew he couldn't cry anymore, Danny felt the ghosts of tears coming back, making him feel even more hollow.

Sighing again, he pushed himself out of his huge armchair and bent over to pick up the broken candy cane.

"Maybe next year…" He was no longer tired, but then again, he was once again in the ghost zone. According to the "new ghost" rules (apparently, there were even rules about newly formed ghosts; he only learned them courtesy of Walker), they had to remain in the ghost zone if they wanted to maintain their form. Remaining in the human world for too long as a new ghost could evaporate the spirit, because it is still so accustomed to the world in which it lived. The continual feed of ectoplasmic energy in the ghost zone helped to stabilize a ghost's form. Eventually, the ghost would be able to maintain it for long periods in the human world as well. Danny still wasn't strong enough for that yet.

Not to mention the psychological damage visiting his own world could do… the emotions remain even after death, and Danny knew it wasn't just trying to exist in his own world that wore him out: it was the strain of realizing he no longer _belonged_ there…

Danny recalled how weak he first felt after he'd died, and now he knew why. He also hated Christmas for a new reason. Ironically, this year, his parents _hadn't_ been the ones to ruin Christmas: he had.

It hurt to remember. He felt the pull toward his home, his own ghostly obsession, but he couldn't do anything about it yet… So many people he still had to protect…

It didn't help either that these feelings were so strong. Apparently, another weakness of new ghosts was interaction with their own world. His family, his friends, anyone had been prevented from coming to see him, and he couldn't stand it. After many failed attempts, his family and friends had stopped trying to come see him. He knew the other ghosts were just trying to keep him in _some_ plane of existence, as the strain of memories and the fresh pain of death could literally cause a spirit to dissolve the same way being in the human world could. Danny would disagree: he thought it was harder to be away from them all. Even if his ghost form was getting more stable, he felt like his mind wouldn't last too much longer. He needed them…

He glared at nothing in particular, not noticing as he clutched the candy cane with such force that he reduced it to a crumbly mess.

Angrily, he stared at the mess until his hand glowed a bright green. He released his ghost ray in frustration, flinging it toward the front door of his lair. It hit the side paneling of the door just as it opened, revealing a surprised-looking Skulker.

Momentarily stunned, Danny blinked, then hung his head slightly, missing the feeling of heat rising to his cheeks in embarrassment. Yet another painful memory.

"…Sorry about that. I wasn't aiming for you or anything…" Danny said with true remorse, though much more heavily weighted by the rest of his pain.

"Well, I figured that, especially since you can't have known I was coming, whelp." Skulker added this bit in, just to humor the boy. He knew it was hard on him, and even Skulker wasn't completely heartless. Besides, with his current prey now just another ghost, no longer the one-of-a-kind halfa, he lost interest in hunting Danny. Instead, he became more preoccupied with helping him settle into the ghost zone. Interesting how one common factor can bring together the worst of enemies.

"Well, then, what ARE you doing here? Just come to bug me?" Danny snapped; he couldn't help it. He could feel his patience thinning, and soon, Skulker might just become his target practice.

As though sensing his mounting frustration, Skulker held up his hands in surrender.

"… I'm sorry." Danny spoke again, lightly clutching his head as though trying to keep his mind from shattering.

"Not to worry. I just wanted to remind you that we're having our annual Christmas party, and you're more than welcome to join us." Skulker didn't want to push the kid into doing anything he didn't want to, but it couldn't be healthy for him to spend the holidays alone. Even ghosts like Skulker couldn't stand the thought of being alone during the holidays.

Danny lowered his hand slightly, and stared glassy-eyed at the carpet in front of him. He hadn't gone last year because of the timing, and he still felt bitter about it. Christmas as a ghost was hard enough, but to _die_ so close to Christmas? Well, Danny still blamed himself for ruining it for his family. Each year, his season of supposed joy was just a reminder, one of the memories he'd actually _prefer_ to forget.

Skulker waited indecisively as he saw the boy's inner conflict. He didn't want to just leave, though, in case the boy really did start falling apart. Much as he would _never _admit, the whelp had grown on Skulker, and in this vulnerable state, he could see just how much of a kid he really was. Lost and scared. He no longer had his ties to his family, or the real world. Now it was just empty space, a swirling vortex of purple and green ectoplasm. He could almost see the boy trailing along the same train of thought…

Danny's thoughts were interrupted as a net suddenly weighed him down, and he glared over at Skulker, who was now somewhere between a smirk and a grimace. Well, I guess even Skulker didn't have _that_ kind of patience.

"Well, since you can't seem to make up your mind, I guess I'll have to take you hostage." Skulker _was _smirking now, his voice slightly mocking. It roused in Danny his old fighting spirit, the kind that made him want to throw Skulker against the wall. Just as he was about to break the net and do so, he heard another familiar voice enter his lair.

" Oh, come now, Skulker, and stop being so childish." Skulker sulked for moment, and then obliged Frostbite by releasing Danny. Stretching, Danny turned to welcome his newest visitor.

"So I've heard you visited your realm today…" Frostbite, though usually confident, said this rather tentatively. He knew how painful a trigger this could be.

"… Yeah." Danny kept his answer brusque, not really trusting his voice for anything else.

" You did visit the grave, too, right?" Frostbite sounded truly concerned; if Danny didn't keep it up, he may soon forget.

Sighing in slight irritation, and trying to hide the hidden pang this gave him, he replied "Yeah, yeah, I know. I did."

"Good. You must never forget; too many a spirit has evaporated under the emotional turmoil from being in their world too long. If you fail to remember that you no longer exist in that world, it could be your undoing…" Frostbite sounded almost like he was telling a scary story.

_Except it's not a story. It's my new "life"._ Danny scowled, and Frostbite mistook his meaning.

"Listen, Great One, I know it may seem troublesome, but reminding yourself can _help_ you to remember what you are; the more you are able to accept it, the stronger you become."

"Yeah, I _know_, I was just…" Danny trailed off.

"That's quite alright. Whatever it was, we just want to make sure you don't hurt yourself any further. And, may I say, you're really progressing more quickly than any of us did!" Frostbite's voice became proud, and he stood a little taller.

"What do you mean?" Danny replaced his scowl with puzzlement.

"Not many ghosts are able to visit their own world so soon after their deaths. You are an exception. I figure it may have to do with your being accustomed to your Phantom self already. You already knew some aspects of what it meant to be a ghost, and you're really coming along quickly."

Danny couldn't help but bring a small smile to his lips as he heard Frostbite boasting about him. It rather reminded him of his Dad… Danny's smile faded as quickly as it came.

Noting the boy's expression, Skulker intervened. "WELL, if the two of you don't mind, I believe we have a party we're going to be late for?" Skulker's voice sounded slightly annoyed that they were leaving him out. Danny allowed himself a grin at that.

"… Yeah, let's go." Danny turned to leave, not noticing the small, satisfied glance the two ghosts behind him exchanged.

_A/N: Here are some explanations of the more confusing parts:_

- _New ghosts can "evaporate" either under the strain of staying in the human world too long or from emotional strain and painful memories; the typical "waiting" period for ghosts is about five years before they can return to the human world (for any period of time) and remain stable_


	4. Chapter 4

Part 4:

Though he'd only been there for about an hour (he still ran on his world's time), Danny had already become recluse, sitting in a far corner of the room as Ember rocked out on the stage, and the other ghosts chatted animatedly.

_Boy, for a group of dead people, they sure know how to throw a lively party…_ Danny thought sarcastically.

Resting his chin in his hands, he once again felt the ghosts of those tears coming back… he was so busy focusing on suppressing his memories that he didn't notice the red-haired ghost standing next to him.

He jumped a little at the sudden hand placed on his shoulder. Turning, he faced the "school therapist", Penelope Spectra.

"If you're looking for misery, I've got plenty of it…" Danny said dourly. "Though I don't know if your powers work on other ghosts…"

"Calm down, Danny, I just wanted to see why you weren't out there with the rest of us."

"Isn't it enough I came?" Danny was starting to get irritated again.

"I know you think we're heartless, Danny, but maybe now you'll understand us all a little better…"

Danny stared at her, head tilted to the side. _Oh, so _now_ she decides to actually play the therapist role? _

"I still don't regret sending you all back here. You belong here."

"And you don't?"

Danny scowled, realizing what he'd said. Dang, but she could be tricky when she wanted to be.

Softening her own look, Spectra leaned down into the boy's face and cupped his chin in her hands. Bringing his eyes to her own, she gazed at him.

That did it. As she opened her mouth to speak, Danny ducked his head violently, shoving her away. In a moment, he had flown violently out the doors, away from the "cheer" of the party.

The tears were back, he could feel the hollowness starting to unfold, and the memories wouldn't stay put anymore.

_They're not supposed to be nice to me! They're supposed to hate me! Skulker should be hunting me, Vlad should be trying to steal my mom and clone me, and the Box Ghost hasn't bugged me even ONCE since I got here! Not even ONE "Beware!"… ENOUGH!_

Danny increased his speed, looking for a portal, _any_ portal that would take him back to the real world.

His thoughts were so blurred by pain and memories that he didn't notice Dani until he ran into her.

"Ofgh!" Danny grunted and Dani turned in surprise. Danny tried to hide his shock at how… _mature_ his cousin had become in two years. _I haven't seen her since Vlad nearly melted her…_

"Danny! What are you doing here?" Dani's face lit up at seeing her "cousin". Her smile faded a bit as she noticed the fourteen-year old's face. _He's… he hasn't changed…?_

"Danielle… uh… why are _you_ here?" Danny purposely dodged the question. Danielle noticed, but the look in Danny's eyes told her not to press the issue.

"Well, I was just on my way to visit Clockwork and—"

Danny looked surprised. "Clockwork? How do you know him? And why do you need to see him?"

"Well, after you helped fix me up, I decided to explore the Ghost Zone a little. That's when I found Clockwork, and I asked him to take me on as an apprentice."

"Wait, WHAT? YOU are apprenticed to the ghost of all time?"

"Well, actually, it's not official; he lets me hang around but he says he's 'not taking apprentices'. But I think that deep down, he's just too nice to turn me away, especially since I don't really have anywhere else to go."

Danny scowled a little, his eyes blurring as he gazed off to the side. "Of course you have places to go. You can go anywhere you want between these worlds…"

Danielle put a finger to her mouth uncertainly. She wasn't sure how to respond to that, and again she got the feeling that she shouldn't press the issue. But she felt like Danny needed help, and the only way to do that would be to ask…

Before she could open her mouth, she saw Danny's eyes widen, and suddenly they became bright. She was shocked to see a huge grin spread across his face. In eagerness, he grabbed her by the arms, and looked her straight in the eyes.

"That's right! You can go between the worlds! And Clockwork… he can help! Man, this is PERFECT!" Letting go of her, he glanced around randomly, as though trying to find a way to put his thoughts together. _Man, how did I not think of this before? _ Danny thought excitedly. He ran his hands through his hair, and then he turned to speak to her again.

"Dani, can you help me with something? Can you see how my family is doing, and what they think about… well, my being gone?"

"Uh…" Danielle stared at him, confused. "Well, it might help if I knew what I was asking about, and why…?"

Danny visibly stiffened a little. _That's right… she doesn't know… Maybe this wasn't such a good idea… but she's the only one who would be willing to help me! The others won't let me see them, so maybe she can…_

Sighing, he lifted his eyes almost sheepishly to his cousin in front of him. That pang was back, but now he had some hope of knowing what his family was up to, and what they thought of his continued absence. _And maybe… maybe Clockwork can…_

That did it. Decisively yet gently, Danny grabbed Danielle's arm. "Come on. We'll talk about it at my…" Danny paused, not really wanting to call it a lair. However, for lack of a better word, he just let the sentence drift off, leaving Dani staring at him with even more puzzlement on her face.

_Well, she'll understand everything soon…_


	5. Chapter 5

Part 5:

Danny sat looking sheepishly at the floor, as his cousin still had not taken her arms off him.

"Oh Danny…" She was sobbing, and Danny gently tried to shrug his way out of her grasp. He was beginning to regret telling her about his death.

"That's why I need your help, Danielle. I can't do anything about it because I'm still too weak to last very long in our… uh, I mean, the human, world." Dani winced at his use of the impersonal. "If you could just let me know how they're doing, I could deal with it for now. But it really helps that you're "apprenticed" to Clockwork. See, if I could somehow get back in time, maybe I could prevent my death, and none of this will happen!" Danny was getting excited now, but he stopped at the look on Dani's face.

"Well, Danny, you know how Clockwork is about messing with time like this… What if it's still too much? You said yourself you're not entirely sure what killed you… besides, you just said you couldn't last long in the human world anymore…"

"Yeah, but YOU'RE still half-alive! Maybe… would you go in my place? Look for a trigger, anything that might have caused the accident… Just keep an eye out? I mean… if it's not too much… Maybe if no one ever discovered my secret... Then maybe none of this will happen…"

Danielle stared at the hopeful look on her cousin's face, and she felt a pang of sorrow for him. She knew what it was like to be without a family, and to have to be alone…

"All right. I'll try. For you."


	6. Chapter 6

Part 6:

"NO. Time is not just a toy you can manipulate. It has serious consequences."

Danielle gritted her teeth. _Dang, but he can be stubborn…_ "Yeah, and these consequences will affect _me_! So why won't you let me go?" Dani felt bad about lying a little, but it was for Danny…

Clockwork sighed. "Because it was inevitable…"

"Oh please! What about the time you manipulated his choices to prevent an alternate future, huh? That made all the difference! You know as well as I do that no future is set in stone! Yet you won't let me save my own?" Danni was getting very upset at this "master of all time".

Clockwork stared at the girl's face for a moment, and then turned his back. "…Fine. Do as you wish. But just know this, the consequences could be immense."

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Exalted by her victory, Danni shot out of the ghost zone and flew off toward the present-day Amity Park.


	7. Chapter 7

_Timeline: Amity Park, Present day, a few weeks after Phantom Planet_

Part 7:

Danny felt his head start to gravitate toward his desk. _Man… I don't know how much more of this I can take._

"Daniel, are you with us?" Mr. Lancer's slightly monotone and sarcastic voice barely registered in Danny's ears.

Before he could offer a reply, he felt a chill run through him, and his breath escaped in a wisp of blue vapor.

"Uh… actually, I think I need some air…" Danny replied distractedly, already turning in the general direction of the ghost.

Mr. Lancer sighed. "Oh, I see. Well, go take care of that ghost… anything if it prevents you from falling asleep again." Turning back to the board, the teacher left his student to run out of the room.

Danny just rubbed the back of his neck, forgetting momentarily that everyone knew his secret now.

"GOING GHOST!" He cried as he threw his fists in the air and felt the power surge, as he became his ghostly double.

He flew outside, and ran straight into a young woman, floating in a bored position.

"Who-?"

"About time you got here. Come on, we need to chat." With that, the girl flew off and, curious, Danny flew off as well, following close behind her.

"Hey! Hold on a minute!" Danny raced ahead and cut off the girl's flight path. "Who are you?"

"As I said, we need to talk, but not here…" With that, Danni flew off again, leaving a confused Danny to follow her.

Eventually, the two reached an old section of housing and construction that had never been finished, due to Undergrowth's appearance a while back. No one resided there now, and it would be awhile before Tucker could get anyone on the restoration of the site. It was a perfect place for two half-ghosts to talk.

Landing, Danni turned to face Danny. "So, you really don't recognize me?" the girl sounded slightly hurt.

"Uh, I don't think so…" But even as Danny said the words, something clicked, some familiar part of his memory, triggered by the girl's appearance. She kind of looked like…

"DANI?" Danny's voice came out louder than he intended, but he couldn't help it: Dani really looked… well, _attractive,_ all grown up.

"Yep!" Danni grinned, giggling at his reaction. "Actually, I'm the future Danni, but you probably already knew that. After all, she's still just a child in this time…"

"Wait, future? You mean…"

"Yup, sort of like your future self from awhile back."

Danny's mouth hung open in shock. "So then, you must know Clockwork! But wait, what are you doing here?"

"I do know him, and, as a matter of fact, I need your help."

"_My_ help? What do you need my help for?"

"You know better than anyone that the future isn't set in stone, and that's what happened to your evil self. He still exists, though he is outside of time now that he is in Clockwork's custody. However, that future still exists as a possibility, as does mine. I come from a separate future."

"What do you mean? You're really not making any sense." Danny crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows in confusion.

"I mean that the future is constantly shifting, results of the choices people make. And you, or should I say, your sister influenced you to make a choice that will eliminate the possibility of another future, the one in which I live."

"So… I still don't think I understand. And what do are you talking about, my sister influenced me? To do what?"

"Remember that Disasteroid incident? Well, your jet came flying through the portal, and everyone believed you were still in it. When it crashed into the mountain nearby, everyone thought you'd died. So when your family was huddling together, glad to be together, Jazz revealed that you weren't actually with them. That's why she knew that your parents knew your secret."

"Uh… Ok, but what does this have to do with the future?"

"Well, after that, you still hid who you were from them, until Jazz told you that they already knew. Then, you revealed yourself to the general public, and now your secret is out."

"Yeah, thanks for the summary. Your point?" Danny was getting slightly annoyed, and knew Lancer would have his head for being gone so long, ghost hero or not.

"My point is did you actually want to tell anyone? Did you really want anyone to know your secret? Would you have continued to hide it if you had the choice?"

Danny just stared at the ghost girl floating in front of him, his mouth hanging open ridiculously.

"Well… I… I guess it's fine… I mean, it's not like anyone is treating me badly."

"But did _you_ want anyone else to know? If you could change the situation, would you?"

Danny thought about it for a moment. Everyone had been so nice to him, since he'd saved the world and all. Having everyone know his secret hadn't been so bad lately, and he'd finally gotten Dash to stop wailing on him all the time.

"I… I don't know. My life certainly isn't bad since I let everyone know. In fact, it's gotten better! Just what are you trying to do, anyway?" Danny took up a fighting stance as he hovered, glaring at the older Dani.

"Hey, I just wanted to know!" Dani held up her hands in surrender. "Because that choice… well, I won't exist if this keeps up."

Danny straightened. "What do you mean? Are you trying to make me choose differently, just so you can save yourself? That's pretty selfish, if you ask me."

Danni sighed, then looked him in the eyes. "I know it must seem that way, but I wanted to know if you felt influenced to make the decision you did. What other choice did you have after that?"

Danny just continued to stare at her, so the girl continued.

"I know what will happen in the future, and I know it seems great right now… but did you think about the consequences it might have? But enough. If you feel it was your own choice, then I can't blame you for that. I suppose I've said too much already, but if you need to talk again, I'll be in the ghost zone, in Clockwork's tower."

"How do you know Clockwork anyway?"

"I'm his apprentice. Didn't you ever wonder where I went flying off to after you and Valerie saved me from Vlad?"

Danny was about to respond when he heard the bell ring over at the school.

"Aw man! Now I missed the rest of Lancer's class! And I'm probably going to be late for my next one!"

Danni giggled. "Well, I suppose I'd better let you get on with your life." Her smile faded and she became serious. "Just consider the life you have, and its consequences."

Danny turned to look back at the ghost girl, but she was gone.

"…Well that was weird. But I guess it'll have to wait." With Danni's words still ringing in his ears, Danny flew back to confront his school life, and his teacher.


	8. Chapter 8

Part 8:

"Darn it!" Danny flew through the halls, and ran straight into Mr. Lancer, who looked less than happy, with his arms folded and his brow furrowed in irritation.

"Well, Mr. Fenton, I understand you must be busy, but you must still keep up in your schoolwork if you hope to graduate."

Danny felt the energy surge as he turned back into Danny Fenton, never taking his eyes from the man towering over him. "Uh, yes sir."

"Then you must understand that you have detention, in which time, I shall go over everything you missed today."

"… Yes sir." Danny hung his head and sighed.

"All right then, you don't want to be late for your next class."

With no more invitation than that, Danny took off down the hall.

Now that he was alone in the hallway, Mr. Lancer scowled. "That brat, he thinks he can just do whatever he wants now that he's the _hero_ of the world…" the middle-aged teacher sneered. A glow formed around him shortly as the vindictive ghost form of Vlad Masters, or Vlad Plasmius emerged, leaving the teacher to sink to the ground, unconscious.

"Well, I'll just have to remedy that, now won't I?" Vlad's eyes shone with pure vindication, eager to dispose of his half-ghost nemesis once and for all.

**A/N: I am SO sorry for the long delay... I'm having a difficult time finding my plot bunnies for this story... ^^; Also, I have been writing another fanfic (with more parts than this one has), AU, for DP, that only needs a good title before I can post it. Please bear with me when I tell you that this story IS ON HIATUS until further notice.**


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